PAHO panel to assess whether U.S. has lost measles elimination status

An independent panel of epidemiologists, virologists, pediatricians and public-health experts appointed by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) will convene between Nov. 10 and Nov. 13 to review evidence of continuous measles transmission in the United States. The panel’s decision will determine whether the country retains its measles elimination status, which requires at least 12 months without sustained spread.

The review comes after a series of outbreaks that began in western Texas in January 2025 and spread to Utah, Arizona, South Carolina, Pennsylvania and other jurisdictions. Over the past two years, 11 measles deaths have been confirmed, primarily among unvaccinated individuals or infants too young for vaccination. CDC data show that 2,289 cases were reported for the previous year and at least 5,182 cases have been confirmed this year across 45 states and Washington, D.C.

"At best, losing the elimination status would be a call to arms," said Dr. Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. "To lose that status would be a tremendous loss."

Dr. Peter Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, added that if the outbreaks are deemed separate, the United States could maintain its status; if they are linked, the loss would be formalized. Genetic analysis of the virus strains will be a key factor in the panel’s assessment.

The United States achieved measles elimination in 2000 after decades of declining cases following the introduction of the measles vaccine in 1963 and the MMR combination vaccine in 1971. At that time, annual reported cases fell to 85, and the disease was declared eliminated after a 12-month period without continuous transmission.